What's a girl to do about a non-green family?

[musicluver]

So, in the last six months I've decided to change alot and for the better! I decided to stop caring about what others think and have kind of turned into a new age hippie. I'm loving my new lifestyle! Anyway, along with that change I started reading about the environment and realized we're all in quite a environmental crisis. So, I decided to start out slow and become more green for nature and future generations. I started recycling, driving less, using alternative driving routes, wasting less food, stop speeding, unpluging devices, turning off lights when leaving the room, buying alternative products, ect... Well, at first when I told my parents about it they're like no big deal, we'd like to help you and do some stuff too and I thought wow, not only will they support me, they're gonna participate! But, it's getting worse and worse, they call me a tree huggin hippie and don't care about little things they can do to help. They recycle, which is more than some can say for their family, but I've told them simple things like unpluging things can make a big difference in the end, but my dad says he'd rather be able to have quick access to things then to care about what impact it has. I've also suggested taking alternative routes so my mom huge gas sucking SUV doesn't drain the earth of our oil and my mom doesn't care cause this way is "faster," it's only faster by two minuets! I've also told her how much gas it's save if we took off her unused luggage rack and she said that I was getting extreme. Am I the only one who thinks these things aren't extreme or hard to do? Please tell me what a college student's to do until she moves out of her family's house? (by the way I approach my family in a suggestive happy way) I think this is awesome > :heff2:

[LIBRA]

Well how old are you? How long did it take you to realize your impact? Consider that when trying to help your family. It is a life change and some people have to take baby steps, esp if they are older and used to life the way it has always been. Work with them, help them understand, show them facts. Make them believe this is not a phase for you, that you believe strongly in this, and and are changing your lifestyle.

Good luck and they will see, they have to, right?

[yugogypsy]

So, in the last six months I've decided to change alot and for the better! I decided to stop caring about what others think and have kind of turned into a new age hippie. I'm loving my new lifestyle! Anyway, along with that change I started reading about the environment and realized we're all in quite a environmental crisis. So, I decided to start out slow and become more green for nature and future generations. I started recycling, driving less, using alternative driving routes, wasting less food, stop speeding, unpluging devices, turning off lights when leaving the room, buying alternative products, ect... Well, at first when I told my parents about it they're like no big deal, we'd like to help you and do some stuff too and I thought wow, not only will they support me, they're gonna participate! But, it's getting worse and worse, they call me a tree huggin hippie and don't care about little things they can do to help. They recycle, which is more than some can say for their family, but I've told them simple things like unpluging things can make a big difference in the end, but my dad says he'd rather be able to have quick access to things then to care about what impact it has. I've also suggested taking alternative routes so my mom huge gas sucking SUV doesn't drain the earth of our oil and my mom doesn't care cause this way is "faster," it's only faster by two minuets! I've also told her how much gas it's save if we took off her unused luggage rack and she said that I was getting extreme. Am I the only one who thinks these things aren't extreme or hard to do? Please tell me what a college student's to do until she moves out of her family's house? (by the way I approach my family in a suggestive happy way) I think this is awesome > :heff2:

I battled this problem from age 15 to age 30, then my Mom was put in a home and my dad had passed, it's a long struggle. I started with buckets labeled "TRASH" "COMPOST" and "RECYCLE" on the counter and taught Mum & Dad to use them-Dad caught onto the compost quick because he had a garden.

Going through it again now with a materialistic tenant-gotta talk to him-at least he listens!

Good Luck
Lois

[Gaston]

You have to realize that everything is relative, and not everything is what it seems to be.

My sister is what I'd call a "Yuppie Greenie" - she recycles, and bikes, and composts, but thinks nothing of jetting to Turkey or Peru for a holiday - and she lives in some of the most beautiful country in the U.S. We always have some kind of green conversation when she visits (she and hubby driving from NH to southern VA and back for 2 days with us and an hour with Mom at the home).

We talked about cars, particularly my Mom's, which was my Dad's, who was a "bigger/faster/louder" kind of guy. I told her that if it was alright with her I'd buy her half when Mom passes (I know, it's a heartless conversation, but better done now than then, when it's far harder - I've been there). She said "but it's such a gas-hog (Jeep Grand Cherokee with the biggest V-8 they put in one), why don't you get something more fuel efficient". "Well", I told her", "if I do we'll either have to sell the Jeep, or trade it in. Either way, someone else is going to put it back on the road and drive the crap out of it, because it's still in good shape with only 50k miles on it, and it should be good for at least 150k. Now, I drive maybe 1,000 miles a year, less than that most years. Since we aren't going to crush and recycle it, wouldn't it be better if I used it than some 50k/yr driver?"

I'll have to say that I'm "conveniently green". Given 2 equal choices, I'll take the green one. Given an easy non-green choice and and very difficult (for me) green one, I punt by taking the easy one but the least often I can manage. I'm not proud of my compromises but I've raised a (now) vegan recycling-fool son with a vegan recycling-fool girlfriend, and a granddaughter who thinks they're both wasteful. So thinking in generations as would the Chinese, I'm not completely ashamed of myself.